I have this general feeling that I don’t read as much as I used to, or would like to. So it’s cheering to look round the bookshelves and see a good number of excellent books that I really enjoyed this past year. So here are some of them, in no particular order, as they catch my eye.

On the fantasy side of the genre, I thoroughly enjoyed Kate Elliot’s “Shadow Gate”, second of her Crossroads series. Absorbing, intelligent and showing how the boundaries of fantasy are ever-expanding. The same is true of Scott Lynch’s “The Lies of Locke Lamora”, and its sequel, “Red Seas Under Red Skies”. Yes, I know I’m horribly late to reading these but that’s one of the curses of my inability to read fantasy unless I’m on holiday these days. Otherwise it’s just too close to “work” for me.

Urban fantasy is quite another matter. I read a lot of that. Highlights this year have been Kelley Armstrong’s “Living With The Dead” and also her YA novel in the same world, “The Summoning”. Patricia Brigg’sMercy Thompson series, beginning with “Moon Called” has also been solidly enjoyable with a satisfying fillip of originality. From the overlap of urban and high fantasy, crime and comedy, there was Mike Resnick’s “Stalking the Unicorn” and “Stalking the Vampire”. Great fun. At the harder edge of that sub-genre there was the tensely impressive “Black Magic Woman” by Justin Gustainis.

SF is also something that doesn’t count as work, so I’ve enjoyed Tobias Buckell’s “Crystal Rain”, as well as John Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War”, “The Ghost Brigades” and “The Last Colony” enormously. Scalzi’s “Agent to the Stars” was another delight. Charles Stross’ “Saturn’s Children” was a fabulous read, with so much of what I loved in the SF of my teens reflected through a contemporary prism.

Stross is an astonishingly versatile writer, as proved by “Halting State”, his near-future tech-crime novel that absorbed me utterly. Ken MacLeod has also been looking at variations on alternate presents and futures with “The Execution Channel” and “The Night Sessions”. Both are compelling reads. The same is true of Cory Doctorow’s “Little Brother”. This has been a vintage year for thought-provoking SF that reflects on the world we live in.

Alternate history is a difficult thing to get right, especially for readers like me who live and breathe history. Jo Walton’sSmall Change series, beginning with “Farthing”, continuing with “Ha’penny” and concluding with “Half a Crown” is the best thing in that style that I have read in years. Superb.

It was also a very good year for anthologies. “The Solaris New Book of Science Fiction: Volume 2”, “Sideways in Crime” (Solaris), “Imaginary Friends” (DAW) and “Myth-Understandings” (Newcon Press) offered myriad delights.

Finally, intrigued to see why Dan Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000 stories were so completely enthralling my teenage sons, I’ve been reading the Gaunt’s Ghost series. Not the kind of thing I would usually read at all and you know what, most entertaining!

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009:

Well, I already know Justin Gustainis’ “Evil Ways” is a worthy sequel to “Black Magic Woman” because I was lucky enough to get an advance copy. As for my vacation reading, I know that will include Gail Z Martin’s “Dark Haven”, Kate Elliott’s “Traitor’s Gate” and Brandon Sanderson’s “The Hero of Ages”. Along with Stephen Hunt’s “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves” from the 2008 TBR list. Oh and Terry Pratchett’s “Nation”, naturally. Then there’s Emily Gee’s “The Laurentine Spy”, due out this year, a must-read given the excellence of her 2007 “The Thief with No Shadow”. I’m also hearing very good things about Daniel Fox’s “Dragon in Chains”, so that’s one to seek out.

Now “Hands of Flame” is out, I can read the whole of C.E. Murphy’sNegotiator Trilogy. I’m really looking forward to that, given how much I enjoyed her Walker Papers urban fantasies. Then there’s her new series, beginning with “The Queen’s Bastard”. Very tempting, time permitting. With the final books of Charles Stross’The Merchant Princes series now on the horizon, I must get up to speed with “The Merchants’ War”. 2009 also sees “Going Under”, the latest in Justina Robson’sQuantum Gravity series, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

Then there will be all the excellent books I come across through the year, both from new writers and those with a backlist I have yet to tackle. I have an ever-swelling list of recommendations from friends and colleagues. The current breadth and depth of speculative writing, in the all different areas of the genre is just breathtaking, isn’t it?

ON THE HORIZON FOR JULIET E. MCKENNA:

The big thrill will be the publication of “Irons in the Fire”, here in the UK and in the US, on March 31, 2009. I’m really proud of this story, the cover art by David Palumbo is fantastic and the early feedback we’re getting from writers and reviewers is hugely gratifying.

What with the vagaries of publishers’ scheduling, I have already written the second book of this trilogy and am working on the third, so that will keep me busy. Not too busy to be looking at some other projects mind you. More news will be forthcoming as and when there’s something definite to say.